[BassicScience]

Personally speaking, show impression is still limited no matter how quiet the room is due to the variances of source, cables, tubes, and such. But you will get a rough idea, sometimes might be misleading. Yet for great designs, even the show demo can be noticeably impressive! After all, the way to know a component is to bring it home.

I would bring my source if I have a target

I'm not arguing that it's not "limited" compared to living with a component at home. OTOH, it's useful enough that I've rarely completely changed my CanJam impression of a product following a more comprehensive audition. Also, I usually bring my own cables, interconnects, adapters, etc. to reduce variables and facilitate setting up custom component chains. I've even brought along my own DAC and amp on occasion, which has allowed me to borrow a headphone (or two) overnight and give it a proper audition in my hotel room. Lastly, if you "know the right people", you will sometimes be invited to private auditions after show hours.

 

[hifixman]

I'm not arguing that it's not "limited" compared to living with a component at home. OTOH, it's useful enough that I've rarely completely changed my CanJam impression of a product following a more comprehensive audition. Also, I usually bring my own cables, interconnects, adapters, etc. to reduce variables and facilitate setting up custom component chains. I've even brought along my own DAC and amp on occasion, which has allowed me to borrow a headphone (or two) overnight and give it a proper audition in my hotel room. Lastly, if you "know the right people", you will sometimes be invited to private auditions after show hours.

Cool but then I found out the cables and source I am used to might not be the best match to the target component lol

 

[BassicScience]

Cool but then I found out the cables and source I am used to might not be the best match to the target component lol

In that context, I'm not interested in "best match". I'm interested in "neutral" and "level playing field". Components that require significant (fitment or chain) tweaking to sound great get a demerit in my book anyway. YMMV.

 

[hifixman]

The gap between mid fi and summit fi

is beyond gears.

 

[jlbrach]

I'd agree in many instances. At CanJam NYC 2022, Kerry/Eksonic had a private room with a few well-spaced listening stations. The room wasn't crowded and was notably quiet by CanJam standards. I imagine this was due in part to Eksonic just having launched as a company, coupled with sharing a wing of the hall with only the seminar room. The suites on the other side of the hall housed HeadAmp/DCA, Woo, dCS, and somebody else I'm forgetting. That whole area was generally like a beehive, although I did get some quality listening time over there first thing on Sunday morning. FWIW.

they do have a few separate rooms where you can do some reasonable listening but the problem is It is confined to a few products and you cant just say...oh I would like to take this amp into a quiet room lol...I do remember one year wells had several amps in a room with both the susvara and the 1266 version at the time and it was relatively sparsely attended so I got some listening done but in general I find it best for simply getting a feel for things...basically if you are in the main room with all the noise and people waiting over your shoulder for you to finish with the HP or whatever product it really is tough..fun though

 

[goldwerger]

yes, CanJams can have traffic and noise. but last year at CanJam NYC (which was jam packed) I found it very easy to get lets of quality listening time, and have great impression of pretty much everything. Don't make perfect the enemy of good. For first impressions, if you get 90% of what the intended gear (headphone, amp, etc) can do, you can get a great sense of whether you like it and or not. I, too, have my own system to make things apples to apples. Personally (which I've also done in CanJam Chicago), I carry my own AK DAP with both XLR and RCA interconnects, so everything I test over the two days has the same source. Sure, it isn't perfect. But it's absolutely great. In the side rooms, there is plenty of opportunity for long, and when you come earlier in the morning, also quiet long listens. And if you are friendly, many of the vendors will also invite you to private listening sessions in hotel rooms or post show hours. My two cents.

 

[jadenh]

Lol.

40% of the music I listen to is rap, 40% metal, 20% other

I'm... actually surprised! Given your listening preference, may I ask whether you felt in love with X9K the first time you heard it?

X9K's bass is incredibly fast, there's very little decay to my ear, which makes it great for intricate tunes such as classical where you really want to focus on the details of every instrument and just "relive" the moment when the concert was conducted in the audience seat, but it took me a bit of getting used to for rock (I listen to Muse so perhaps 20% metal lol). And of course I believe the relatively lack of bass quantity has been discussed quite thoroughly in this thread.

(Hopefully I'd be able to try out Susvara in the future. I have been curious but was a bit intimidated by how people went to great lengths to build their systems.)

 

[jadenh]

There's definitely a lot of trash out there, but production has always been top-notch in the genre.

Feels like "production value" is almost the only thing I focus on when I listen to modern genres lol It gets boring after a while, pop these days all sounds the same, and I have zero interest in their lyrics...

 

[Ciggavelli]

I'm... actually surprised! Given your listening preference, may I ask whether you felt in love with X9K the first time you heard it?

X9K's bass is incredibly fast, there's very little decay to my ear, which makes it great for intricate tunes such as classical where you really want to focus on the details of every instrument and just "relive" the moment when the concert was conducted in the audience seat, but it took me a bit of getting used to for rock (I listen to Muse so perhaps 20% metal lol). And of course I believe the relatively lack of bass quantity has been discussed quite thoroughly in this thread.

(Hopefully I'd be able to try out Susvara in the future. I have been curious but was a bit intimidated by how people went to great lengths to build their systems.)

I was really impressed when I first listened to the X9K. The instrument separation, soundstage, and bass were all better than I anticipated. I like speed when listening to metal too. I also have the Shangri-La Sr, and I like that with metal too (but not hip-hop. The sub bass quantity is less than ideal).

The Susvara is laid back too, but has more heft. It’s a great pair of headphones.

 

[Chefguru]

I'm... actually surprised! Given your listening preference, may I ask whether you felt in love with X9K the first time you heard it?

X9K's bass is incredibly fast, there's very little decay to my ear, which makes it great for intricate tunes such as classical where you really want to focus on the details of every instrument and just "relive" the moment when the concert was conducted in the audience seat, but it took me a bit of getting used to for rock (I listen to Muse so perhaps 20% metal lol). And of course I believe the relatively lack of bass quantity has been discussed quite thoroughly in this thread.

(Hopefully I'd be able to try out Susvara in the future. I have been curious but was a bit intimidated by how people went to great lengths to build their systems.)

I'm finding that the X9K is one of the best headphones I've ever heard for modern pop, rap and electronic music. Metal is also very good since electric guitars come alive.

Despite soundstage and incredible clarity, there is something missing for me with jazz. Rock and classical are a tossup. I don't think I've ever heard "Bab O'Riley" sound worse on a TOTL headphone.

The more I listen to the X9k the more I'm unsure of it. Perhaps this is also a reflection of the Mjolnir Carbon not synergizing with the Stax for those genres.

 

[jadenh]

I was really impressed when I first listened to the X9K. The instrument separation, soundstage, and bass were all better than I anticipated. I like speed when listening to metal too.

I'm finding that the X9K is one of the best headphones I've ever heard for modern pop, rap and electronic music. Metal is also very good since electric guitars come alive.

There were some habits I needed to "unlearn" for electronic and hard rock, but my mind eventually switched to focusing more on staging and details instead (I agree electric guitars sounded more lively somehow after I got used to it). This is so fun! Never anticipated I'd develop a different taste for them, although I still feel that it might be a luxury only people with radically different headphones (like 1266 TC vs X9K) can appreciate.

 

[Ciggavelli]

There were some habits I needed to "unlearn" for electronic and hard rock, but my mind eventually switched to focusing more on staging and details instead (I agree electric guitars sounded more lively somehow after I got used to it). This is so fun! Never anticipated I'd develop a different taste for them, although I still feel that it might be a luxury only people with radically different headphones (like 1266 TC vs X9K) can appreciate.

Definitely. At the TOTL level, it’s all about a different flavor. I have a lot of TOTL line cans, so I like it. I feel the X9K could be a good all arounders for an estat owner though. It’s better than the other estat all arounder, the CRBN.

 

[Chefguru]

There were some habits I needed to "unlearn" for electronic and hard rock, but my mind eventually switched to focusing more on staging and details instead (I agree electric guitars sounded more lively somehow after I got used to it). This is so fun! Never anticipated I'd develop a different taste for them, although I still feel that it might be a luxury only people with radically different headphones (like 1266 TC vs X9K) can appreciate.

This is a good way to look at it. I put on a strong EDM song and the X9K will pull me into all the electric highs but with a planar I would be focused on when the bass hits.
Similarly, there isn't a lot of "slam" happening but the X9k can occasionally create moving air against the head in a unique way along with a strong plucking effect.

Certain songs are just a complete miss though where there is very little excitement and the X9K totally fails to find anything to grab. I'm finding myself more of a song junkie than a music listener with the set, which really isn't the goal :-/

 

[Ciggavelli]

I just listened to the latest Undeath album with the X9K and then with the Shangri-la Sr. It was good with the X9K, good bass, good separation and soundstage. When I switched to the Shang, the resolution was noticeably higher. The bass quanity was less though, but not lacking. I guess one is trading bass quantity for resolution.

 

[jlbrach]

I will always opt for resolution which is why I so love the sr1a